Farm Safety Week 2024 Begins on July 22nd
This year’s Farm Safety Week will take place from Mon, July 22nd to Friday, July 26th.
The launch for Farm Safety Week took place on the Delaney farm in Co Laois with the Minister of State at the Dept of Agriculture with responsibility for farm safety Martin Heydon.
IFA President Francie Gorman encouraged farmers to make safety a priority on their farm during Farm Safety Week and to take the necessary steps to safeguard themselves and their families on the farm.
“By making safety a priority on your farm, you’re not only protecting your wellbeing, but also ensuring the longevity and success of your farming operations,” Francie Gorman said.
IFA Farm Family & Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche said the rate of farm accidents and fatalities is too high, and we need to make safety a number one priority.
“Farm work can be hazardous, but many accidents are preventable. By being mindful of safety and taking proactive measures, you can protect yourself and those who depend on you. I urge farmers to make changes now to create safer working environments,” she said.
The topics that will be covered throughout the week are as follows:
- Near misses and under reporting
- The Great Outdoors – the hidden dangers of working outdoors
- Are you fit to farm?
- Farm Safety Hero
As part of #farmsafetyweek, IFA is hosting three regional farm safety events:
Tues, July 23rd 7pm–9pm, Tommy Doyle’s Farm, Cloghristick, Co Carlow R93 K291
Wed, July 24th 7pm–9pm, PJ Fitzsimons Farm, Drumnagrella, Co Monaghan, A91WP2P
Thurs, July 25th 7pm-9pm, Macroom Mart, Co Cork P12 R285
Initiated by the Farm Safety Foundation in the UK and led by the IFA in Ireland, Farm Safety Week has the support of more than 400 partners in five countries – here, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Stephanie Berkeley, manager of the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) the charity leading the campaign said, “According to the International Labour Office (ILO) agriculture employs half of the world’s labour force. It remains one of the three most hazardous sectors of activity (along with construction and mining). We can’t let this continue”.
“2024 marks the 12th year of the campaign. While the attitudes and behaviours around farm safety are changing, the pace of change is slow – too slow for the families of those we have lost and too slow for the thousands of farmers suffering every day with long term ill-health or serious injuries as a result of their work.”
“This year’s Farm Safety Week offers an opportunity for a real reset of the way we approach farm safety and risk-taking. We cannot continue to tolerate poor safety behaviours, we cannot assume that its somebody else’s job to drive this change in culture, and we cannot rely on luck when going about our daily tasks,” she concluded.
